The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged two Nigerian nationals with allegedly engaging in illegal voting and making false claims of American citizenship in connection with federal elections.
The development was announced in a statement on Monday as the department intensified its crackdown on suspected election-related offences.
According to the DOJ, the two Nigerians are 61-year-old Mohammed Omar Hassan and 74-year-old Michael Agah.
The department said Hassan was charged in the Southern District of Texas with voting as a non-citizen, while Agah was charged in the Western District of North Carolina with voting as a non-citizen and falsely claiming to be a US citizen to participate in an election.
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“Nigerian national Mohammed Omar Hassan, 61, a lawful permanent resident, has been charged with voting by an alien. Hassan allegedly voted in the 2022 and 2024 elections,” the statement said.
The DOJ added that Agah, also a lawful permanent resident, was charged with voting as a non-citizen and falsely claiming American citizenship to vote.
According to the department, Agah allegedly declared himself a US citizen on an Authorization to Vote Form before participating in a federal election on November 5, 2024.
Speaking on the development, US Attorney General Todd Blanche described the announcement as the largest surge in voter fraud arrests since President Donald Trump returned to office.
